


The New Gogs

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? [67]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: The Frasers have two new dogs.





	The New Gogs

                                                                  

“Hello loves!” she called into the warmth of Lallybroch. “Did I make it home in time for dinner?” 

She knew she had. Jamie always had things ready on the nights she worked or had class. The decision for her to go back to school had been a difficult one. Their children would only be young once and she didn’t want to miss this precious time with them. At the same time, she felt that she was a better person, a better mother even when she was working a bit and was healing people. Jamie had convinced her to do what she needed to do. He was both incredible and modest. And a reasonably good cook as well.

The other day he and the twins had brought her coffee at work and one of the doctors had asked “How’s babysitting the bairns while Claire is awa’?” Jamie, her ever-caring Jamie had glanced at the doctor and grabbed Fergus’ hand before he wandered away. He looked the man full in the eye and said that it wasn’t babysitting if they were your own children. That’s what parents did, cared for their bairns.

She had swooped in with a hug and kiss, adoration for her husband clear on her face.

“Hi Mama!” Bree yelled now, running down the hallway to greet her enthusiastically, tripping over a stray shoe sitting on the floor and righting herself mid-stride like the little athlete she was. “Did you have a great day?”

“Mmm,” Claire hummed into her daughter’s red curls. “I did, but I’m _very_ happy to finally be home with all of you. Does your da have dinner ready? Did you set the table?”

“Da said we have ice cream for dessert!” She scrunched up her shoulders happily. “If we all finish dinner, we can have some. And I already set the table for the four of us.”

“Why only four?” The twins’ table manners were beyond ridiculous, but they still sat in booster seats at the giant kitchen table with the rest of the family. At age two, both Willa and Fergus decided regularly to assert their independence. Primarily they chose to do so at inopportune moments or when the biggest messes were involved, such as mealtime.

“The twins aren’t eating with us. We have new dogs.”

Then Bree walked off toward the kitchen leaving her dumbfounded mother behind.

Jamie wouldn’t, _would not_ , have gotten a new pet without her. Would he? Lord John had come home as a surprise at a point when she probably wouldn’t have chosen to add a pet to their family so she supposed that her husband _might_ , in fact, bring home a dog ( _dogs?!_ ) without consulting her. She just couldn’t imagine him doing it with no discussion _at all_.

Until she entered the kitchen.

“Oh,” she paused in the doorway taking in the scene before her. “Wot?”

“Hi, Mama!” Faith greeted happily, curls springing free from a bun as she looked up.

Jamie was taking something delicious-smelling out of the oven as if nothing unusual was happening. Faith was at the small desk in the corner where she was finishing up some homework while Bree pranced from kitchen counter to table with the napkins she’d forgotten to set at their places.

On the floor sat Lord John’s bowl of food and two more bowls. And Willa and Fergus.

“Hi, Mama!” said Fergus from where he sat.

“Hi, Mama!” echoed Willa.

“Hello. Um, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to join us for dinner?” she questioned.

“I’n a gog. Li-la’s a gog.”

“Uff!” Willa barked from her hands and knees position on the floor, bouncing herself up then crashing back on the hardwood making Claire cringe.

“But,” she paused, “Jamie, why are our children _on the floor_ ready to eat? With the dog?” She did a double-take looking back at the bowls that looked suspiciously like Lord John’s bowls. “Are those sterile?” she blurted.

“I’n a gog,” Fergus said again.

“They’re no’ children anymore. They’re dogs. And afore ye say anything else, they willna eat if they’re at the table.” He shot her a scornful look that dared her to challenge what he’d been experiencing while she was at work. “Aye, the bowls are clean.”

“No, really, why are they on the floor?” she persisted.

Faith and Bree glanced sideways at her then looked at one another and waited.

“Because, Sassenach, they willna eat if we don’t let them eat with the dog,” Jamie said tiredly.

“Uff!” barked Willa, hopping around again.

“Willa, down!” commanded Bree authoritatively.

“Jamie, they’re our _babies_!” She knew she was overreacting but their barely-two-year-old children were eating out of bowls on the floor with the dog!

_This_ was why she’d resisted returning to work and school!

She knelt down to scoop up tiny Willa, her golden curls with the strawberry highlights in little pigtails, and was rewarded with a snarl as both toddlers snapped their teeth in her direction.

“ _Damn!_ ” she exclaimed, yanking her hand away.

“Mama!” both older girls gasped in unison.

“Yer lucky,” Jamie continued. “Fergus bit Murtagh yesterday when he walked in the door wi’ out letting ‘im sniff his hand.”

Claire lowered herself into her seat at the dinner table and cradled her head in her hands. Jamie came over and, after placing the food on the table, put one of his strong hands on the back of her neck and bent to kiss her.

“Let’s have some dinner and we’ll catch you up on all that’s happened. Faith?” he turned to their oldest, “The dog bowls please!”

As they sat (and as the twins shoved their chubby-cheeked faces into the bowls on the floor) Jamie and the older girls explained how the little ones had in essence gone on a hunger strike until being allowed to eat like the “gog.”

Once the ice cream was served for dessert, served only at the table and only for people, Fergus and Willa rejoined their family as toddlers.

For the time being, anyway.


End file.
